Phil Bertolini is a senior vice president for Government Technology, the premiere event and thought leadership content provider for state and local government technology professionals. Previously, he served as deputy county executive and CIO for Oakland County, Michigan. During his 31-year tenure, Phil built a world-class IT organization in the second-largest county in Michigan, just north of Detroit. As Oakland County CIO, he oversaw more than 150 employees serving over 1.2 million residents. In 2005, he was also promoted to deputy county executive, holding dual positions until his retirement. Phil’s efforts earned the county national attention, winning numerous awards for technology innovation and excellence. He was named Governing Magazine’s Public Official of the Year and Government Technology Magazine’s Top 25 Doers, Dreamers & Drivers. He was also honored by the President Obama White House as a Champion of Change.

Dave Cofer brings nearly 25 years of private sector (HR, Continuous Improvement and Entry Talent), consulting (Entry Talent Solutions) and non-profit (Community Development) leadership experience to his role as Director, Partnerships and Programs at Columbus State Community College in Columbus, Ohio. In this role, Dave is responsible for providing day-to-day program management and leadership to the College’s portfolio of earn-and-learn programming and for-credit programs designed to meet the lifelong learning and upskilling needs of incumbent workers. Dave earned a B.S. in Business (Human Resource Management & Organizational Behavior) from Miami University (Ohio), an M.A. in Education (Workforce Development; concentration in Human Resource Development) from The Ohio State University and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Ohio University.

Alex Criss is a recent graduate of Columbus State Community College in Columbus, Ohio. She graduated with an A.A.S. degree in software development and web development. As part of Columbus State's IT Flexible Apprenticeship Program, Alex spent the last year working as a software development apprentice with Nationwide. Prior to attending Columbus State, Alex earned a B.S.B.A. degree in accounting from The Ohio State University and had a decade-long tax career at Ernst and Young.

In either the public or private sectors, Holly Drake's mission is to bring a pragmatic, collaborative approach to
solving business and information security challenges by balancing the uses of information while keeping
core cybersecurity and privacy principles at the fore. With more than 20,000 employees across all state
agencies, the State of Ohio has a complex information risk profile requiring a sophisticated, risk-based
cybersecurity program. With this in mind, she builds cybersecurity governance and technical maturity to
protect Ohioians and their state government in today's volatile threat landscape. She also thrives on leading
diverse and skilled teams through transitions and change.
Holly's information governance and management career spanned senior roles in private sector
organizations ranging from mid-market to Fortune 50 in size where she developed privacy, cybersecurity,
and compliance programs. Prior to joining the State of Ohio, Holly built a bespoke privacy program for The
Ohio State University, one of the largest educational institutions in the United States. While there, she also
led the cybersecurity governance teams, with responsibility for policy, control frameworks, training, risk
assessment, disaster recovery, and data governance.
A graduate of The Ohio State University, Case Western Reserve University, and Capital University, Holly also
maintains CIPP, CIPT, CISSP, and CISA certifications. Currently, she serves in a number of industry initiatives.
Outside of work, she volunteers and advocates for literacy initiatives in her community.

Ms. Dudley has over 39 years of Information Technology experience and is a 36-year IBM veteran. She currently serves as Director, Technology Sales, for IBM’s strategic State and Local Government clients. Her focus is intense customer focus and successful mission-software alignment. Prior to that she served in the position of Client Executive for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) for IBM Federal. There she was responsible for bringing forth customer centric and leading-edge information technology solutions to include Software, Hardware, Services, and Research. As a leader in the Intelligence Community, Ms. Dudley supported specific solutions around engineering, simulation, and modeling.

Kassy Franz was born and raised in the great state of Ohio. She attended Ohio University and graduated with a Bachelor of Communications degree. Kassy is a SHRM-SCP certified HR professional and is currently the Chief People Officer at the Franklin County Data Center. She is passionate about making a positive difference, building true genuine relationships, and having fun. She believes in living life to the fullest and enjoys doing it with her husband Alex and their three children; Axel (7), Kinley (5), and Baylor (1).

Adam Frumkin is a leader with experience in developing, directing, and executing business transformation and strategies. He has an established record collaborating with other executives to bring clarity to strategic business decisions and implementing technology to transform business processes.
He has focused experience in strategic planning, cultural & organizational development and emotional intelligence, process reengineering, enterprise system implementations, cybersecurity and disaster recovery and business continuity planning.
Council Chair to the PTI Executive Committee of the City/County CIO Leadership Council and Vice Chair for the NACo IT Standing Committee. Additionally, named as one of the 2023 Top 25 Doers, Dreamers, and Drivers by Government Technology and StateScoop – Local Smart County Executive of the Year 2021 and the Columbus Business First – BizTech Executive of the Year 2021.
He is an adjunct professor at The Ohio State University, and for the PTI Certified Government Chief Information Officer (CGCIO) through Rutgers University.

Fred serves as the Interim Administrator of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and the State of Ohio EEO Coordinator for the Department of Administrative Services. He is responsible for overseeing the Americans with Disability (ADA) and the Affirmative Action/Equal Employment Opportunities (AA/EEO) program areas. He acts as a consultant to agency leadership on diversity management and inclusive practices and leads the integration of the principles of diversity and inclusion into the agency’s workplace culture. He also provides counsel and guidance to supervisors and managers on best and preferred practices associated with leading employees from diverse backgrounds and perspectives and aligning inclusion initiatives with the organizational mission, goals, strategies, and metrics.
Fred is a U.S. Army veteran of over three decades and retired at the rank of Major. He has also provided public service as a police officer and narcotics investigator. He holds an undergraduate degree from Cleveland State University in Public Administration, along with a number of military education & training accomplishments and awards.

Tommy Gardner is HP’s Chief Technology Officer for HP Federal, spanning the US Federal Agencies, Higher Education, K-12 Education, State and Local government customer segments, as well as Federal Systems Integrators. His current responsibilities include technology leadership, strategic technology plans, product and technology strategies, sales force technical support, and customer and partner relationships.
Previously, Tommy has served as the Chief Technology Officer for Jacobs Engineering, Scitor, and ManTech. Earlier in his career he was a senior technical executive at Raytheon. In the U.S. Navy he served as the Deputy for Science and Technology for the Chief of Naval Research. He oversaw the Navy’s Deep Submergence Program as well as its Advanced Technology Program. He also commanded the nuclear submarine, USS San Juan (SSN 751).
Tommy’s educational background covers multiple disciplines and fields of interest including: cybersecurity, data science, blockchain, quantum information science, artificial intelligence, high performance computing and systems integration.
Tommy holds a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the U.S. Naval Academy, a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard University, an M.S. in Management of Technology from MIT and a Ph. D. in Energy Economics from George Washington University. He is a Professional Engineer, an ASME Fellow, and serves on the ASME Board of Governors, the ANSI Board of Directors and the U. S. Council on Competitiveness as the Co-chair of the Advanced Computer Roundtable.

As an executive member of the state’s IT leadership team, Hagberg supports the responsibilities of the State CIO, working collaboratively to deliver IT services and solutions that support state agencies, boards, and commissions in their work to provide vital services to Ohioans. The team’s strategic priorities focus on streamlining and modernizing the digital experience, data analytics, and enterprise shared services.
Leading the Investment Governance Division comprised of the Enterprise Project Management Office and Strategic Investment and Architecture, Hagberg ensures projects are in alignment with strategic direction for the enterprise and make smart use of economies of scale opportunities. She guides program and project management practice, implementation methodologies, and organizational change management to ensure consistent, goal-focused, quality projects delivered on time and on budget. She also drives technology innovation and IT architecture compliance through cross collaboration, procurement reviews, and application of architecture standards.
Hagberg manages several large programs, including the Ohio Multi-Agency Radio Communication System (MARCS), the wireless, digital communication network that connects Ohio first responders from multiple jurisdictions during emergencies and is managed statewide by DAS. She also oversees the Ohio Benefits Program, which serves more than three million Ohioans eligible for assistance through Medicaid, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance, Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, and Child Care Programs.
Prior to joining DAS in January 2019, she served as the Deputy Chief Information Officer for Strategy and Communications for the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
Hagberg’s extensive private sector experience before joining state government included five years as a vice president for Huntington National Bank and a combined 17 years with the company. There, she served in multiple roles specializing in program and project management and leading business case development and program execution for high profile, multi-year strategic initiatives.

Kirk Herath is Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted’s Cybersecurity Strategic Advisor and Chairman of CyberOhio, the State of Ohio’s Cybersecurity Advisory Board. He is also an Adjunct Professor of Law at both Ohio State’s Moritz School of Law and Cleveland State’s Cleveland-Marshall Law School. Kirk retired as VP, Associate General Counsel and Chief Privacy Officer for Nationwide after 32 years.
For over two decades, Kirk was responsible for all legal and policy issues at a Fortune 100 financial services company impacting data governance, privacy, information security, technology and information systems, contracts and supply services management, third-party risk, confidentiality and data integrity.
He is Past President and past board member of the International Association of Privacy Professionals and is still active within the association. He also served on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Data Privacy and Integrity Advisory Committee from 2005 to 2011. He speaks regularly on a broad array of privacy, security and technology issues.
He received undergraduate degrees in political science and history from the University of Cincinnati and has a master’s degree in international affairs from the American University in Washington, D.C. He holds a JD from Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio, and is admitted to the Ohio Bar. Kirk is also a Certified Information Privacy Professional/US and Certified Information Privacy Professional/Government.

Beverlyn Johns is an Author, Public Servant, and Advocate for children with disabilities. For over 25 years, she has served her community and advocates in the areas of social justice, mentoring, and the fight against food deserts. As a mother of twins, who have been diagnosed with Autism, she has begun to journal her experiences through the school system. Her hope is to help other parents who are navigating various systems in an attempt to gain resources, tips, and guidance to ensure that their children thrive through life with the proper support.

Kitty Hollingshead Mancil, SPHR, SHRM-SCP is Director of the Office of Talent Management for the State of Ohio. Kitty has a diverse and in-depth perspective into Statewide government operations through her experience at the Ohio Department of Taxation, the Ohio Housing Finance Agency, and the Ohio Department of Administrative Services. In her current role, she leads the State’s Talent Management programs including Classification and Compensation, Talent Acquisition, Performance Management, and Learning and Talent Development. In this role, Kitty is energized by the opportunity to impact multi-faceted talent management at an enterprise scale. Kitty is also an MBA graduate of Franklin University and is a certified Senior Human Resources professional through HRCI and SHRM. She welcomes connections on LinkedIn.

Born in Columbus and raised in Central Ohio, Sam Orth has spent the last 41 years helping government and education use technology to create value for the citizens of Ohio. He joined Mayor Ginther’s team as Chief Technology Officer and Director of Technology on July 3, 2016.
His focus at the city has been helping the Mayor, Cabinet and city modernize how IT is used to serve the citizens of Columbus and the region. His first major initiative was partnering with Public Safety to adopt the city’s first body-warn camera program. Other major projects have included creation of the city’s first Data Analytics and Integration program, modernization of the city’s data centers and infrastructure, adoption of a new 311 platform, and expanding technology access for city employees to enable telework during the pandemic.
He is currently working with the Public Safety to develop the city's Real-Time Crime Center program and and is working with the Smart Columbus and the Digital Equity Coalition to address the Digital Divide in Columbus and the region.
Prior to serving as the CTO for Columbus he served as the CTO for the Management Council of the Ohio Education Computer Network, and State Chief Information Officer for the State of Ohio. While State CIO he worked with IT leaders across government to modernize state IT operations by fostering inter-agency collaboration, IT consolidation and shared services. While at the state, he chaired the Ohio Broadband Council and Multi-Agency Radio Communication steering committee and served on the OARNet Governing Board.
From 1997 to 2004, Sam served as the Executive Director of the Ohio SchoolNet Commission where his team implemented nearly $1B in educational technology programs - including expanding the capacity of broadband connectivity for Ohio’s schools and placing over 600,000 computers in Ohio’s classrooms. While at SchoolNet, he was a founding partner with OARNet to fund and light what was then known as the Third Frontier Network. TFN grew to become what we know as the Broadband Ohio OarNet network today.
Before joining state government in 1996, he spent 14 years in the private sector IT where he owned his own consulting company, worked for central Ohio computer resellers and served as a Systems Engineer and Market Development Executive for Apple Computer. His private sector career was focused extensively on K-12 and government.

Venu is a highly accomplished and visionary IT strategist with a passion for exploring innovative ways to drive business growth. With a proven track record of launching projects worth millions of dollars, Venu is a go-to person when it comes to discussing strategy, planning, and practical approaches for launching new IT products and services.
As the current CIO of the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO), Venu brings a wealth of expertise to the table. He is a skilled entrepreneur, architect, IT budget specialist and vendor manager who can quickly understand complex numbers and translate them into actionable insights. Moreover, Venu is a forward-thinking and visionary leader who has a knack for spotting opportunities and driving change within organizations.
Venu earned his MBA from the prestigious Ohio State University and currently resides in Dublin, OH, with his wife and three children. He is an overall great guy to talk to and loves nothing more than discussing new and exciting ways to innovate and drive growth. If you want to take your IT strategy to the next level, Venu is the person to talk to!

Melissa Peoples brings over 18 years of public service in Franklin County. Melissa is action-oriented and is passionate about continued growth and development while creating an inclusive work environment. She is currently a Business Relationship Manager (BRMP) and DEI Chairperson at the Franklin County Data Center. She is a graduate from Franklin University where she also received her Lean Six Sigma Green Belt Certification.

Natalie Sisto is a Managing Director at Accenture and serves as the Global Solution Lead for Talent and Workforce Transformation in Public Service. She is a mission-inspired and results-driven leader with 16 years of strategy, management, and digital consulting experience. Natalie is passionate about helping people, organizations, and communities unlock their value and ability to contribute. She serves higher education, health, nonprofit and government organizations, with an emphasis on strategy development, organizational design, and talent management. In addition, she has worked with Fortune 100 companies in retail, insurance, banking, healthcare and communications to develop talent strategies and higher education partnerships. In Ohio, Natalie has helped advance our state’s economic development agenda and orchestrated growth of our advanced manufacturing workforce (semiconductor, EV, etc.). Based in the Columbus, OH, office, she leads Accenture’s Corporate Citizenship engagement and serves as a Trustee on the Board of Alvis and on the Community Board of COSI. Natalie received a Bachelor of Science in Foreign Service from Georgetown University and an Executive Certificate in Nonprofit Management from Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy.

Mark began service as Chief Information Officer at the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services in July of 2021. The department is responsible for supporting Ohio’s workforce and unemployment programs, along with the programs for child protective services, foster care and adoption, cash assistance, food assistance, and child support. The agency is also responsible for the end-point support of 17,000 users in 180 county departments, administering the above statewide programs.
Prior to joining JFS, Mark served as the Chief Operating Officer at OIT in the Ohio Department of Administrative Services. Over the course of a 30-year career in state service, he has also held leadership positions at the Ohio Attorney General’s Office and Ohio Office of Budget and Management.
Mark lives in central Ohio, is a graduate of Franklin University.

As Chief Information Officer, Jeff Swan oversees ODNR’s information technology (IT) systems and security measures. Jeff has more than 30 years of experience in the field with previous positions including IT manager at the Ohio Department of Administrative Services and Network Services Supervisor at the Ohio Department of Health.
A native of Mount Sterling, Jeff holds a bachelor’s degree in business management from Franklin University. In his free time, he is involved with the 4-H program and enjoys camping, hunting, and spending time with family and friends.

Matthew Thompson, CISSP, is an industry-recognized thought leader in the area of Identity and Security Management and currently leads Socure's Public Sector business while also serving as the President of the Board for the Kantara Initiative, the leading global community commons improving trustworthy use of identity and personal data through innovation, standardization and good practice. Matt is an innovator in the digital identity space with several patents and having co-founded ID.me, which was named to the “100 Brilliant Companies” list in 2014 by Entrepreneur Magazine. Matt has spent more than a decade working in the public and private sectors to promote privacy-enhancing, secure, interoperable, and user-friendly ways to give individuals and organizations confidence in their online interactions, which garnered him recognition by One World Identity as one of the “Top 100 Leaders in Identity” in 2017 and 2018.
Graduating as the Top Cadet from the Virginia Military Institute and as the President of the Armed Forces Association from Harvard Business School, Matt is a proven business leader, successful entrepreneur, Ironman triathlete, and decorated combat veteran. He served as an Army Special Operations Officer, completing four deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan with multiple awards for valor and distinguished service. Matt’s civilian experience includes positions at McKinsey & Company, Goldman Sachs, Capital One and IDEMIA.